How Does Dorfman Present Paulina's Empowerment?

Throughout Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman, the reader can see Paulina as a very independent woman who rejects the role of a woman in relationships and in the home.Ariel Dorfman displays Paulina's independence through her acquisition and wielding of the handgun, yet through the men's treatment of her, Dorfman reinforces this need for independence.
Before the appearance of the handgun, Dorfman employs the use of hatred to create the sense of empowerment Paulina feels.The prevalence of sexism in the novel also exposes Paulina to the feeling of anger against men. Paulina argues with Gerardo about anything she can to fit into her role of an independent female. Gerardo’s view of what being a wife should entail deters Paulina’s self-image,

With a fire ready to light and a match nearby, Paulina had found the courage; her fear of fire disintegrated. Paulina had taken the gun and finally felt in complete control, empowered, enabled. The constant down play of her abilities as a wife and member of society, the perfect victim to act on, Paulina was ready. Given the gun, she did not stumble over her words. She did not express herself through the use of sarcasm or vulgarity. She had said exactly what she had wanted to. Asked all the questions she had wanted answered and did not accept the answers that she was not looking for. Paulina has no fears about the wrongdoing of her actions.. Asking questions like “And why does it always have to be people like me who have to sacrifice, why are we always the ones who have to make concessions when something has to be conceded, why always me to has to bite my tongue, why? This time I am going to think about myself, about what I need. If only to do justice in one case, just one. What do we lose? What do we lose by killing one of them? What do we lose? What do we lose?” (66). The gun in Paulina’s hand conceals the fear of being vulnerable like she was during the attack. Paulina tried to understand why she was the one attacked, why her who gets treated so, why her who has to hold everything in, she has chosen to look out for herself finally. The gun allows her to do this. Beforehand, she had cared about the thoughts of the men, about how they would react if she had spoken her mind. But this time, she knows that they have no room to react. Shooting the first time shows that she has no fear, and also that she has no idea of the possible outcomes. If the men were to react, who knows where a bullet would land, despite where Paulina had aimed it. The gun makes her feel as though she has nothing to lose. Paulina has already tied everyone up in this situation and has no other way out. She attempts to justify killing the man who had raped her to